Introduction
Facebook has restrictions on what is and is not permissible when running a contest. This document will attempt to clarify these requirements and restrictions and, if possible, suggest alternatives. Visit the official Policies for Pages, Groups, and Events and Facebook Developer Terms to read these guidelines in their entirety.
Requirements
Every contest run on a Timeline or on a campaign must be operated lawfully, and must include:
- The official rules
- Offer terms and eligibility requirements (ex: age and residency restrictions)
- Compliance with applicable rules and regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered (ex: registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals)
Promotions on Facebook must also include:
- A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
- Acknowledgement that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
Since legal terms and conditions, rules, and releases can be lengthy, we recommend placing them in a pop-up that can be triggered by an Action Widget, or in a container that can be easily shown/hidden.
Restrictions
The following practices and types of contests are prohibited:
Requiring Users to Share to Enter
Share to enter or win contests are prohibited. Number seven of the Policies for Pages, Groups, and Events states: “Your promotion must not require or incentivize participants to share, repost, tag others, or in any other way publicize your promotion.”
Instead, create a Form, enable Refer-a-Friend in the Form Designer, and display the form on a campaign using a Form Container and Field Widgets. After a visitor submits his or her entry, encourage them to refer their friends to the contest. For each of their friends who follow the referral link and enter, they receive extra chances to win.
Requiring Users to "Like" Pages to Enter
You cannot require users to "Like" Facebook Pages to enter a contest - a.k.a "incentivizing" a Like. Section "Your app incentivizes unapproved actions" of Meta's App Verification Details states: "Only incentivize a person to log into your app or enter a promotion. Don't incentivize other actions."
Redirecting Users
You cannot publish a campaign whose sole purpose is to redirect visitors to another site. Section "Your canvas app redirects to a URL off of Facebook" of Meta's App Verification Details reads: "Don’t build an app whose primary purpose is to redirect people off of Facebook."